Amanuel Medhanie

Psychosocial Status of Homeless Children and Youth in Family Supportive Housing

Shelter-based studies have documented risks to homeless childrens development, but scant information is available about children residing in family supportive housing, a key strategy for preventing long-term homelessness. This study assessed the psychosocial and health status of 454 formerly homeless children living with their families in 17 supportive housing communities. Findings indicated that children had good access to physical health care. However, children faced significant psychosocial risks and manifested behavioral, emotional, and school challenges. Housing agencies lacked infrastructure or expertise in childrens mental health. The authors propose that supportive housing provides a valuable but hitherto underused opportunity to support childrens psychosocial functioning.

Effects of Mother's Parenting Practices on Child Internalizing Trajectories Following Partner Violence

Studies of childrens functioning following exposure to a traumatic event rarely have investigated change over the weeks following the event, but examining recovery in the short aftermath of a traumatic event is important for understanding vulnerability to subsequent disorder, as well as the potential utility of preventive interventions. Data are reported from a short-term longitudinal study of 35 mother-child dyads over 14 weeks following exposure to an incident of severe intimate partner violence. Using a developmental-ecological framework, we proposed that maternal parenting practices would be associated with childrens recovery, and that maternal distress would be associated with her parenting practices. Consistent with hypotheses, observed parenting practices at baseline predicted the trajectory of childrens self-reported internalizing problems over the study period. Maternal mental health problems were associated with child depression symptoms, but not with overall child internalizing symptoms. Parenting was not associated with maternal mental health symptoms. Further studies should pay closer attention to the role of parenting in childrens adjustment in the aftermath of a traumatic event.

The Preparation of Students From National Science Foundation–Funded and Commercially Developed High School Mathematics Curricula for Their First University Mathematics Course

The selection of K–12 mathematics curricula has become a polarizing issue for schools, teachers, parents, and other educators and has raised important questions about the long-term influence of these curricula. This study examined the impact of participation in either a National Science Foundation–funded or commercially developed mathematics curriculum on the difficulty level of the first university mathematics course a student enrolled in and the grade earned in that course. The results provide evidence that National Science Foundation–funded curricula do not prepare students to initially enroll in more difficult university mathematics courses as well as commercially developed curricula, but once enrolled students earn similar grades. These findings have important implications for high school mathematics curriculum selection and for future research in this area.

Outcome Trajectories of Developmental Students in Community Colleges.

This analysis explores student outcomes related to taking developmental English (i.e., reading and/or writing) and math classes in three community colleges in three different states, using institutional data from 7,898 students who began college in the fall of 2009 (Cohort 1) or fall 2010 (Cohort 2). We examine the outcome trajectories of students at each college, considering their enrollment in developmental courses in their first term at college as well as other variables. Several factors helped students persist into the second term of college, and a subset of these was also significantly related to continued persistence, graduation, and higher overall grade point average (GPA). Older students, White/non-Hispanic students, and occupational students were more likely to graduate. These groups, and women, also had higher cumulative GPAs. Math ability at the time of college entrance was a powerful predictor of student success. The utility of reading placement as a predictor, and the utility of developmental English, reading, and writing (DERW) classes as an intervention, were both limited to retention into the second term and/or second year. Financial aid and tutoring were much more clearly related to student success than was developmental coursework.

Proximity and Risk in Children's Witnessing of Intimate Partner Violence Incidents

ABSTRACT There is a dearth of research about event details in childrens exposure to adult intimate partner violence (IPV). This article reports data gathered from 507 families (including 1012 children) who called 911 for an IPV incident. A majority of children were present in the home at the time of the violent event, with older children more likely to be directly involved in the violence and to witness incidents with weapons. In order to assess the relationship between exposure to violence and subsequent short-term adjustment, data were analyzed for a subsample of children in 66 families. A combination of acute and chronic risk variables (proximity to the violence and prior trauma history) significantly predicted child functioning within days of the traumatic event.

Student and high-school characteristics related to completing a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) major in college

Background: The importance of increasing the number of US college students completing degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) has prompted calls for research to provide a better understanding of factors related to student participation in these majors, including the impact of a student’s high-school mathematics curriculum. Purpose: This study examines the relationship between various student and high-school characteristics and completion of a STEM major in college. Of specific interest is the influence of a student’s high-school mathematics curriculum on the completion of a STEM major in college. Sample: The sample consisted of approximately 3500 students from 229 high schools. Students were predominantly Caucasian (80%), with slightly more males than females (52% vs 48%). Design and method: A quasi-experimental design with archival data was used for students who enrolled in, and graduated from, a post-secondary institution in the upper Midwest. To be included in the sample, students needed to have completed at least three years of high-school mathematics. A generalized linear mixed model was used with students nested within high schools. The data were cross-sectional. Results: High-school predictors were not found to have a significant impact on the completion of a STEM major. Significant student-level predictors included ACT mathematics score, gender and high-school mathematics GPA. Conclusions: The results provide evidence that on average students are equally prepared for the rigorous mathematics coursework regardless of the high-school mathematics curriculum they completed.

The Role of the ACCUPLACER Mathematics Placement Test on a Student's First College Mathematics Course.

The first college mathematics course a student enrolls in is often affected by performance on a college mathematics placement test. Yet validity evidence of mathematics placement tests remains limited, even for nationally standardized placement tests, and when it is available usually consists of examining a student’s subsequent performance in mathematics courses. This study expands on existing literature by considering whether a nationally standardized college mathematics placement test (ACCUPLACER) contributes to the prediction of enrollment and success in developmental and nondevelopmental mathematics courses above and beyond prediction associated with the ACT mathematics test. Results for a sample of more than 1,300 students from 20 postsecondary institutions suggest that ACCUPLACER does not contribute to either the prediction of enrollment or subsequent success in such courses, and that comparable information is provided by using the ACT mathematics score alone. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Preparation of Students Completing a Core-Plus or Commercially Developed High School Mathematics Curriculum for Intense College Mathematics Coursework

The purpose of this study was to examine the college mathematics achievement and course-taking of students at a large public research university who completed a commercially developed or standards-based (Core-Plus) high school mathematics curriculum, and who subsequently completed at least 2 college mathematics courses of difficulty level at or beyond precalculus mathematics. Mathematics course-taking and achievement data across 8 college semesters were analyzed for a sample of 1,588 students. Findings indicated that students (including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors) were equally prepared for intense college mathematics coursework regardless of which high school mathematics curriculum they completed. These findings inform high school mathematics curriculum adoption decisions for college-bound students, and college policies and practices for advising students enrolling in mathematics courses.

Examining the Relations Between Instructional-Level Data and Intervention Response in Early Writing:

The current study determined growth patterns during an 8-week writing intervention and then examined the association between growth pattern and students’ initial skills as determined by instructional-level data. One hundred forty-seven first-grade students struggling with early literacy skills received a writing intervention at one of two tiers of support and completed progress assessments at regular intervals. Results indicated that students followed more than one type of growth pattern. A moderate correspondence was found between growth pattern and instructional-level data. Current results are contextualized within previous research. Implications for adapting writing interventions based on student data and theoretical models of writing development are discussed.